Henry's eyes locked with mine, but only for a moment.
Even before I said anything, he knew I had figured him out.
"Henry…" I started, the name sounding foreign as it came out of my mouth.
It felt so wrong, calling him Henry…but I was talking to a man on the verge of cold-blooded murder. It seemed like a good time to get on a first-name basis.
He glared at me sharply, but he didn't have to. I didn't actually have a way to finish that sentence. What was I supposed to say? That he wasn't supposed to kill whoever had murdered his son and my best friend?
It sounded like a weak argument, even in my own head.
"What?" he demanded after a long silence.
I opened my mouth, still searching for the right thing to say…but nothing came.
"He's not dead," I said finally. "He can't be dead."
Henry stiffened, but didn't say anything. Finally, he just spun on his heel and marched out of the office without another word.
I quickly followed him across the parking lot.
"You can't take your truck." I told him, still a few yards away. He had just reached his truck and opened the door, but he stopped short of climbing in.
"Why the hell not?" he demanded, leaving his door hanging open as he turned back to look at me.
"Because Chief Vick is looking for you," I reminded him. "Which means every cop on patrol will be keeping an eye out for your truck. If you really want them to stay out of your way while you hunt the bastards down, you have to stay under the radar. Which means you need my car. Which means you need me."
He blinked as the logic of it settled in.
For once, he didn't have an argument.
He slammed his door shut, scowling. "I told you to stay out of it, Gus," he muttered.
"Well, that's not going to happen," I snorted, fishing my keys out of my pocket, watching out of the corner of my eye as I walked towards my car.
He didn't move right away, but his eyes followed me as I crossed the parking lot and unlocked my car. I got in, clutching the wheel while I waited for a tense moment for him to do something.
Anything…
He just continued to stand completely motionless in the middle of the parking lot, watching my every move.
Finally, he knew he didn't have a choice. He grunted and walked around to the other side of the car, getting into the passenger's seat with a bitter scowl.
"We're going to find him." I said quietly, not sure if I was trying to reassure Henry or myself. "We're going to find him…"
He nodded stiffly. "But if we don't, Gus…you can't stop me," he said firmly, his ice cold eyes meeting mine in the rear view mirror. "You won't stop me."
I smiled palely, shrugging as I pulled out of the parking lot. "We'll see…" I murmured. "I'm the only voice of reason Spencers will sometimes listen to."